1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a harness excess-length absorbing apparatus provided with a harness guide member which urges a wire harness in a draw-in direction while folding back the wire harness within a protector.
2. Related Art
FIG. 7 shows one conventional harness excess-length absorbing apparatus as shown in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication Hei 9-20189.
This harness excess-length absorbing apparatus 41 comprises a synthetic resin-made casing 42, a fixing guide 43 of a cylindrical shape provided within the casing 42 at one end portion thereof, a moving guide 44 of a cylindrical shape slidably mounted within the casing at the other end portion thereof, and a coil spring 45 urging the moving guide 44 in a direction away from the fixing guide 43.
Within the casing 42, a flat wire harness 46 extends around the moving guide 44 and fixed guide 43 to be bent into a generally S-shape, and one end of the wire harness 46 is connected to one connector 47, while the other end of the wire harness 46 is led to the exterior through a harness outlet port 48 in the casing 42.
A power-side wire harness 49 is connected to the connector 47, and the other end of the wire harness 46 is connected to an electrical equipment or an accessory mounted, for example, on an opening/closing structure such as a door. In accordance with an opening operation of the opening-closing structure, the wire harness 46 is drawn out of the casing 42 while compressing the coil spring 45. During a closing operation of the opening/closing structure, the wire harness 46 tends to become loose or slack, but the coil spring 45 urges the moving guide 44 to move in a direction of expanding of the coil spring, so that the wire harness 46 is drawn into the casing 42, thereby absorbing the slack (excess length) of the wire harness.
In the above conventional harness excess-length absorbing apparatus 41, however, the wire harness 46 was liable to be disengaged from the moving guide (guide member) 44 in a direction of a length thereof during the drawing-out and drawing-in operations of the wire harness 46, and in such a case there was a fear that a side edge portion of the wire harness 46 was brought into rubbing contact with the casing 42 and an end edge of the moving guide 44, and was worn or damaged. And besides, when the wire harness 46 was to be mounted or set within the casing, there was a fear that the wire harness 46 was disengaged from the moving guide 44 in the longitudinal direction thereof, or was lifted radially outwardly from the guide, so that this mounting operation could not be carried out easily.